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Clinton Campaign Manager Suggests Obama Campaign Is Playing Race Card With Ferraro Comments

By sargent - March 11, 2008, 6:00PM

The battle over Ferraro is rapidly heating up right now, and the latest twist in the story is a surprising one: Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams is suggesting that it's the Obama camp that played the race card in the dust-up over the Ferraro comments.

Williams has a new statement out that points to this video of Obama at a recent debate, in which he seems to say that he doesn't agree with his supporters' efforts to highlight a pattern of racially-charged remarks coming from the Clinton camp.

"Senator Obama's campaign staff seems to have forgotten his pledge," Williams continues. "We have not. And, we reject these false, personal and politically calculated attacks on the eve of a primary."

While the statement does reiterate Hillary's disagreement today with Ferraro's suggestion that he's where he is politically because of his race, there's no repudiation or rejection of the comments. Instead, there's this strong insinuation from Williams that the Obama camp's criticism of Ferraro's comment amounts to playing the race card in some way.

Unapologetic, defiant, refusing to budge, flipping the accusations back in the face of the Obama camp. Given Ferraro's original comments, this is a curious response indeed -- one that stands in stark (and probably deliberate) contrast to Samantha Power's prompt resignation in the wake of her "monster" comment.

Late Update: The full statement from Williams after the jump.

Late Late Update: Ferraro amplifies her case by arguing that the Obama camp just might be attacking her because she's white.

In January, NBC's Tim Russert confronted Senator Barack Obama with a four page memo from his campaign characterizing statements they claimed the Clinton Campaign had made about race. Asked in hindsight whether he regretted pushing this story, Senator Obama said :

Well, not only in hindsight, but going forward. I think that, as Hillary said, our supporters, our staff, get overzealous. They start saying things that I would not say. And it is my responsibility to make sure that we're setting a clear tone in our campaign, and I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why I spoke yesterday and sent a message in case people were not clear that what we want to do is make sure that we focus on the issues."

We agreed then. We agree today. Supporters from both campaigns will get overzealous. Senator Clinton today reiterated that when asked about Geraldine Ferraro's recent comments:

"I do not agree with that and you know it's regrettable that any of our supporters on both sides say things that veer off into the personal. We ought to keep this focused on the issues. That's what this campaign should be about."

Senator Obama's campaign staff seems to have forgotten his pledge. We have not. And, we reject these false, personal and politically calculated attacks on the eve of a primary. This campaign should be about the leadership we need for a better future and these attacks serve only to divide the Democratic Party and the American people.

PERMALINK | RECOMMEND THIS (7)
| TOPICS: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton

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